Bobbin holder for attachment of different sized bobbins to a spool

ABSTRACT

A bobbin holder apparatus is described for attaching a bobbin to a spool for storage. The spool may have thread of the same color and type as that on the bobbin for easier matching. The bobbin holder is capable of holding bobbins of different sizes by a holder means including a plurality of resilient holder elements, such as arcuate arms or longitudinal fingers, which bend to enable insertion and removal of the bobbin and hold the bobbin within the holder apparatus. An attachment means is provided for releasably attaching the holder to one end of a spool of thread, including a hollow tubular support member which extends into the central opening of the spool and grips the inner wall of such opening. In addition, such bobbin holder includes a thread trap and its support member has open ends for insertion onto the spindle shaft of a sewing machine. The bobbin holder is of unitary construction and may be molded of a single piece of plastic.

United States Patent 1191 Manning Dec. 17, 1974 BOBBIN HOLDER FOR ATTACHMENT OF DIFFERENT SIZED BOBBINS TO A SPOOL [21] Appl. No.2 280,543

52 US. Cl. 242/118'41 51 1111.0 B65'h 75/02, B65d 79/00 [58] Field 61 Search 242/11841, 118, 129.7,

242/129.7l, 130, 130.3, 131, 134, 136,137, 139, 141, 138; 68/198; 206/47 R, 63 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 44,720 10/1864 Gritznern", 242/134 462,004 10/1891 Hahn 242/118.41 1,324,839 12/1919 Maitland; 242/139 1,387,368 8/1921 Douglass 242/134 1,842,718 1 1932 Dunlap 242/1297 1,928,252 9/1933 Gollong 68 198 2,550,927 5/1951 .lurnove et al-.. 242/138 2,862,610 12/1958 Morin 242/l18.4l 2,944,761 7/1960 Best 242/139 3,284,025 ll/l966 Fridolph 242/137 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,253,679 1/1961 France 242/118.41

27,664 9/1887 Canada 242/1 18.41

Primary Examiner-George F. Mautz Attorney, Agent',0r Firml(larquist, Sparkman, Campbell, Leigh, Hall & Whinston [5 7] ABSTRACT A bobbin holder apparatus is described for attaching a I bobbin to a spool for storage. The spool may have thread of the same color and type as that on the bobbin for easierv matching. The bobbin holder is capable of holding bobbins of different sizes by a holder means including a plurality of resilient holder elements, such,

as arcuate arms or longitudinal fingers, which bend to enable insertion and removal of the bobbin and hold the bobbin within the holder apparatus. An attachment means is provided for releasably attaching the holder to one end of a spool of thread, including a ho]- low tubular support member which extends into the central opening of the spool and grips the inner wall of such opening. In addition, such bobbin holder includes a thread trap and its support member has open ends for insertion onto the spindle shaft of a sewing machine. The bobbin holder is of unitary construction and may be molded of a singlepiece of plastic.

12 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures BOBBIN HOLDER FOR ATTACHMENT OF DIFFERENT SIZED BOBBINS TO A SPOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The subject matter of the present invention relates generally to thread bobbins, and in particular to a bobbin holder for attachment of bobbins of different sizes I to a spool of thread. This enables the type and color of the thread on the bobbin to be matched to that on the spool to which it is attached for use on a sewing machine. In addition, the bobbin holder prevents loss or misplacement of the bobbin.

The bobbin holder is of unitary construction and can be molded of a single piece of plastic material. The

holder includes resilient holder elements, such as arcuate arms or longitudinal fingers, which bend to enable insertion or the removal of the bobbin, and which hold the bobbin on the holder apparatus. Such holder also includes a hollow tubular support which is adapted to extend into the central opening of the spool to attach the bobbin holder to one end of such spool.

i 2. Description of Prior Art Previously it has been suggested, in US. Pat. No. 2,458,898 of DiAddario patented Jan. 11, l949,'to store a bobbin within a counterbore in the end of a spool of the same thread, such bobbin being held in position by-the paper label of the spool. However, this has the disadvantages that it requires a specially manufactured spool necessitating special winding equipment and cannot hold different sized bobbins. Also, once the bobbin is removed from the spool it is difficult to attach it back onto the spool securely enough to prevent loss. A further disadvantage is the increased cost of the spool of thread because two or more bobbins must also be purchased at the same time. In addition, an apparatus has been employed to attach a thimble to a spool of thread by a metal holder having a pivoted cover which closes a chamber containing needles'positioned within the central opening of the spool, as shown in US. Pat. No. 2,579,309 of Dillemuth, patented Dec. 18, 1951. However, neither of these patents disclose a bobbin holder apparatus suitable for attaching bobbins of different size to a spool of thread in the manner of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a bobbin holder apparatus for attaching bobbins of different sizes to a spool for storage to prevent such bobbin from being lost or misplaced.

Another object of the invention is-to provide such a member for insertion into the central opening of the spool to firmly attach the bobbin holder thereto, such support member being provided with open ends to enable insertion onto the spindle of a sewing machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments thereof andfrom theattached drawings of which:

FIG. 4 is a section 'view' taken along the line 4-4 of I FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of the bobbin holder of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a section view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

. FIG. 7 is a horizontal section view takenalong the line 7-7 of FIG. 6. r

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in-FIG. 1 a bobbin holder 10 made of a unitary construction in accordance with the present inholder, bobbin and spool assembly in which the thread of the bobbin matches the thread of the spool.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a bobbin holder apparatus of simple and effective construction, including resilient holder elements which enable easy insertion and removal of the bobbin and firmly hold the bobbin in place.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a bobbin holder apparatus of inexpensive unitary construction which may be made of a single piece of plastic material. I

An additional object of the invention is to provide such a bobbin holder apparatus with a tubular support vention is attached to a spool of thread 12 by a hollow tubular support portion 14 projecting from the bottom of such holder into the central opening 16 of such spool. A sewing machine bobbin 18 having thread of the same type and color as that of the spool 12 is held in the bobbin holder 10 so that such bobbin is positioned above the end of the spool. This assembly of the spool 12, bobbin holder 10 and bobbin 18 may bestored to prevent the bobbin from becoming lost or misplaced and for easily matching 'the threadof the I bobbin to the thread of the spool for useon a sewing machine.

As shown in FIG. 2, the spool 12 and the bobbin holder 10 can be inserted over the spindle shaft 20 of a sewing machine 22 after the bobbin is removed from the holder and inserted into such sewing machine. A thread trap 24 may be provided on the bobbin holder 10 for holdingthe loose end of the thread 26 on spool 12 'during storage, as shown in FIG. 1. The end of the bobbin thread is held within thebobbin holder 10 simply by rotating the bobbin to wind up such loose end.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, one embodiment of the bobbin holder 10 includes three arcuate arms 28 each fixed at one end 30 to a support flange 32 connected to the top of -the tubular support member 14. The holder arms 28 are each providedwith a cam surface 34 on their free end for engagement with the bobbin flange to cause bending of such arms in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the tubular support member 14.to enable insertion and removal of the V bobbin. Each of the holder arms 28 may be provided with a tapered width'which gradually decreases with distance from the'fixed end 30 to the free end 34 of such arm, in order to more uniformly distribute the stress along the length of the arm. Thecurved cam sur- .lar to the axis of the support member to enable the insertion and removal of bobbins of different diameter, and are made of a resilient plastic material, such as acetal resin, including the acetal resin plastic sold under the trademark DELRIN. It should be noted that the entire bobbin holder can be molded from a single piece of plastic material.

A locking notch 36 is provided in the free end of the holder arms 28 inwardly from the cam surface 34 for engagement with the bobbin flange to lock such bobbin within the holder 10. The locking notch 36 maybe a V-shaped notch having an enclosedangle of approximately 30. A pair of support spacers 38 are provided on the support flange 32 adjacent each of the fixed ends 30 of the holder arms 28. These support spacers supportthe bobbin flange the same distance above the support flange 32 as the locking notch 36. It should be noted that the support spacers are provided with ramp shaped inner ends 40 to prevent the bobbin flange from catching under such front edge of such spacers.

The hollow tubular support member 14 projects downward from the support flange 32 and tapers in-- wardly at an angle of approximately 3 to provide a good friction fit within the cylindrical central opening of the spool 12. The tubular support member 14 is open at both ends to enable the spindle shaft of the sewing machine to be inserted therethrough when the spool 12 is positioned on the machine, as shown in FIG. 2.

The thread trap 24 is provided on the fixed end 30 of therefrom. Each thread trap includes an outer end portion 42 separated from an inner end portion 34 by an annular notch 46 into which the thread is wrapped. The thread tap notch 46 is tapered so that the bottom of such notch is somewhat smaller than the thickness of the thread to causesuch thread to be wedged into such notch to hold it in place. It should be noted that the support flange -32-is provided with three thin filler portions 48 which project into and partially fill the space between such flange and the holder arms 28 to prevent two of the bobbin holders from becoming tangled together. This tangling could be caused by one of 'the holder arms 28 catching in the space in another holder which is occupied by such fillers.

Another embodiment of the bobbin holder of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. This bobbin holder 10 includes a pair of longitudinal fingers 50 which extend longitudinally from an intermediate tubular shank portion 52 attached to the hollow tubular support member 14' which extends into the central opening of the spool. A support flange 54 extending outwardly on the-holder is provided between the support member 14' and the shank 52. This flange 54 engages one end of the spool when support member 14 is inserted into the central opening of the spool and the bobbin holder is assembled with such spool. Each of the longitudinal fingers 50 is made of a resilient plastic material, such as an acetal resin, and like the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. Thus, the entire bobbin holder 10' may be molded from a single piece of plastic material. Each of the longitudinal fingers 50 is provided with a cam projection 56, extending outwardly from the free end of such'fingers. Thus, when a bobbin is inserted onto the holder 10', the cam projections 56 engage the inner wall of the central aperature in the bobbin and bend the longitudinal fingers 50 inwardly until such bobbin slides over the shank portion 52 into contact with flange 54. When the upperend of thebobbin clears the cam projection 56, the fingers 50 spring back outwardly so that the bobbin is held in place between the flange 54 and the cam projectios 56 on the bobbin holder. Thus, the longitudinal fingers 56 bend in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the tubular support member 14 to enable insertion and removal of the bobbin. Of course, bobbins of different external diameters can be employed with the bobbin holder 10' as long as the central aperture of such bobbins is approximately the same diameter,-which is greater than the external diameter of the shank portion 52 and less than the external diameter of the cam projections 56.

While the tubular support member 14 may be provided with a taper in a similar manner to the support member 14 of FIGS. 3 and 4, it is also possible to e'rnploy longitudinal ridges 58 extending along the outer surface of the support member These ridges are spaced uniformly about such support member for engagement with the inner wall of the central opening in the spool to insure a tight fit. While four ridges 58 are shown, a different number of such ridges may be employed. Similarly, while two longitudinal .holder fingers 50 are shown and separated by notches 60, a greater number of such holder fingers, such as three or four, may .be employed. It will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that many changes maybe made in the abovedescribed details of the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should only be determined by the following claims.

I claim: 1. A bobbin holder apparatus in which the improvement comprisesz; holder means for holding bobbins of different outside diameters including a plurality of resilient arcuate holder elements which are adapted to extend-arcuately around a bobbin and bend to enable insertion and removal of the bobbin and which hold the. bobbin on the holder means between said holder elements; attachment means for releasably attaching said holder apparatus to one end of a spoolof thread, including a support member which projects away from holder means and is adapted to extend into the central opening of said spool to position the holder means outwardly of said one end of said lar member provided with gripping means for gripping the inner wall of the spool opening and having open ends for insertion onto a spindle shaft.

5. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the resilient holder elements are arcuate arms extending arcuately around the longitudinal axis of the support member in spaced relationship to each other, said arms each being fixed at one end to the attachement means and having a free end which is provided with a cam surface which engages the bobbin for bending the arm substantially perpendicular to said axis.

6. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which the arms are of a tapered thickness which decreases with distance from .the fixed end to the free end. I

7. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim in which the arms have their free ends provided with a notch inwardly of the cam surface for holding the bobbin flange.

8. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance'with claim 5 which has tangle prevention means for preventing two holder apparatus from becoming tangled, including a filler portion expanding into the space between said arms and said support member. 1

9. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 1 which is provided with a thread trap means for securing the loose end of the thread.

10. An assembly of the bobbin holder apparatus of claim 1 attached to a spool of thread and containing a bobbin of the same thread as the spool.

1 1. A bobbin holder apparatus in which the improve ment comprises:

holder means of synthetic plastic for holding bobbins of different outside diameters, including a plurality of resilient holder elements which are spaced longitudinal arms provided on the end of a tubular shank portion adapted to be inserted into a pas sageway extending through the bobbin, said arms being attached at a fixed end to said tubular shank portion and projecting longitudinally of the axis of said shank portion to a free end, said free end having a cam projection means on its outer surface which projects outwardly of said shank portion for engaging the bobbin passageway to bend said arm inwardly as it slides along said passageway and for engaging the end of the bobbinto hold said bobbin on said tubular shank portion after said cam means passes completely through said passageway;

attachment means of synthetic plastic for releasably attaching said holder apparatus to one end of a spool of thread, including a support member which projects away from holder means and is adapted to extend into the central opening of said spool to position the holder means outwardly of said one end of said spool;

said attachment means being formed integral with said holder means;

and

said holder means including an outer flange portion provided between said shank portion and said support member to hold the bobbin on the shank portion between said flange portion and said cam projection' means. 4

12. A bobbin holder apparatus in which the improvement comprises: Y

holder means of synthetic plastic for releasably holding a sewing bobbin so that said holder means is p'ositioned around such bobbin,'said holder means including at least one resilient holder element which upon engagement by theouter flange-of said bob bin bends to enable insertion and removal of the bobbin and which holds the bobbin in the holder means; and

attachement means of synthetic plastic for releasably attaching said holder means to one end of a thread spool, including a hollow support adapted for insertion into an opening in said spool without blocking said opening, said attachment means being formed integral with said holder means. 

1. A bobbin holder apparatus in which the improvement comprises: holder means for holding bobbins of different outside diameters including a plurality of resilient arcuate holder elements which are adapted to extend arcuately around a bobbin and bend to enable insertion and removal of the bobbin and which hold the bobbin on the holder means between said holder elements; attachment means for releasably attaching said holder apparatus to one end of a spool of thread, including a support member which projects away from holder means and is adapted to extend into the central opening of said spool to position the holder means outwardly of said one end of said spool; and said attachment means being formed integral with said holder means.
 2. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 1 which is made of a single member of synthetic plastic material.
 3. A bobbin holder in accordance with claim 2 in which the plastic is acetal resin.
 4. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the support member is a hollow tubular member provided with gripping means for gripping the inner wall of the spool opening and having open ends for insertion onto a spindle shaft.
 5. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the resilient holder elements are arcuate arms extending arcuately around the longitudinal axis of the support member in spaced relationship to each other, said arms each being fixed at one end to the attachement means and having a free end which is provided with a cam surface which engages the bobbin for bending the arm substantially perpendicular to said axis.
 6. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which the arms are of a tapered thickness which decreases with distance from the fixed end to the free end.
 7. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which the arms have their free ends provided with a notch inwardly of the cam surface for holding the bobbin flange.
 8. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 5 which has tangle prevention means for preventing two holder apparatus from becoming tangled, including a filler portion expanding into the space between said arms and said support member.
 9. A bobbin holder apparatus in accordance with claim 1 which is provided with a thread trap means for securing the loose end of the thread.
 10. An assembly of the bobbin holder apparatUs of claim 1 attached to a spool of thread and containing a bobbin of the same thread as the spool.
 11. A bobbin holder apparatus in which the improvement comprises: holder means of synthetic plastic for holding bobbins of different outside diameters, including a plurality of resilient holder elements which are spaced longitudinal arms provided on the end of a tubular shank portion adapted to be inserted into a passageway extending through the bobbin, said arms being attached at a fixed end to said tubular shank portion and projecting longitudinally of the axis of said shank portion to a free end, said free end having a cam projection means on its outer surface which projects outwardly of said shank portion for engaging the bobbin passageway to bend said arm inwardly as it slides along said passageway and for engaging the end of the bobbin to hold said bobbin on said tubular shank portion after said cam means passes completely through said passageway; attachment means of synthetic plastic for releasably attaching said holder apparatus to one end of a spool of thread, including a support member which projects away from holder means and is adapted to extend into the central opening of said spool to position the holder means outwardly of said one end of said spool; said attachment means being formed integral with said holder means; and said holder means including an outer flange portion provided between said shank portion and said support member to hold the bobbin on the shank portion between said flange portion and said cam projection means.
 12. A bobbin holder apparatus in which the improvement comprises: holder means of synthetic plastic for releasably holding a sewing bobbin so that said holder means is positioned around such bobbin, said holder means including at least one resilient holder element which upon engagement by the outer flange of said bobbin bends to enable insertion and removal of the bobbin and which holds the bobbin in the holder means; and attachement means of synthetic plastic for releasably attaching said holder means to one end of a thread spool, including a hollow support adapted for insertion into an opening in said spool without blocking said opening, said attachment means being formed integral with said holder means. 